Choosing bronze as her favourite medium, Meera Mukherjee (1923–1998) formed her own simplistic, modernist, life-like world of sculptures. They possess a ‘lifeforce’ that speaks to the ordinary being instead of alienating them. Mukherjee’s commitment to her practice made her valiant enough to step out of her comfort zone and dedicate herself to visual arts. Her devotion to the craft traditions of India guided her to Madhya Pradesh, Bengal and South India. The artist’s language is similar to that of the quotidian life in her immediate surroundings, shedding light upon social issues.

This one of a kind volume offers an understanding of Mukherjee’s art through the most comprehensive collection of essays by writers who have known her personally and professionally, as well as from translated texts and excerpts from her diary and letters.

Published in association with Akar Prakar, Kolkata, Emami Art, New Delhi, and supported by Raza Foundation.

Dr. Geeti Sen, a cultural historian and author, is the former Director of the Indian Cultural Centre in Nepal. Dr. Nandini Ghosh, is currently UGC Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Culture Studies at Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. Late Maitreyi Chatterjee was a women’s rights activist, writer and critic. Clelia Segieth is a writer and art curator. Adip Dutta is a member of the Faculty of Visual Arts at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. Dr. Georg Lechner is the former Director, Goethe-Institut, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, and Europe. Shilvanti Pracht is a friend of Meera Mukherjee from her college days in Delhi. Pranabranjan Ray, an art critic and author, is a founder member and secretary of the Society of Contemporary Artists, Calcutta. Maja von Rosenbladt, a German national, has been a dear friend of Meera Mukherjee and part of the Dhankhet Bidyalaya.